Pre-Reading Vocabulary for "The Tell-Tale Heart"
1. hearken- to give respectful attention
2. dissimulation- to hide under false appearances
3. cunningly- characterized by wiliness and trickery
4. vexed- to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to
5. inquiring- seek for information by questioning
6. profound- difficult to fathom or understand
7. sagacity- of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment
8. suppositions- to lay down tentatively as a hypothesis, assumption, or
proposal; to think probable or in keeping with the facts
9. stealthily- slow, deliberate, and secret in action or character
10. pulsation- a single beat or throb
11. dismembered- to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of
12. suavity- smoothly though often superficially gracious and sophisticated
13. vehemently- marked by forceful energy
14. derision- the use of ridicule or scorn to show contempt
15. gesticulations- an expressive gesture made in showing strong feeling or in
enforcing an argument
16. trifles- something of little value, substance, or importance
17. dissemble- conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense
18. premises- a tract of land with the buildings thereon; a building or part of a
building usually with its appurtenances (as grounds)